Memorial Day 2018 and 99°!!!

This must have been a record setting day.
Suffice to say the bees are busy, though the bee population in my overwintered hive still seems slim in comparison to my package, but feeders were nearly empty on both hives so I topped them up.
I can still feel pollen patties under the top bar cloth so I did not open the hive to replace them.
The bees are always at my bird waterer by my house, despite the fact that I have supplied them with a bucket of water in the apiary.

Oh, and my husband ran into a fawn on our land:

It's going to be hot!

Hitting the 90s these next few days, so I took out the bottom boards (to help keep the hives cool, so they don't swarm in the heat) and made sure the grass was cut in front of the openings - since the workers sit at the entrances and "fan" the hive to cool it.

Hope I don't lose them!

Hive check

Saturday May 5, 2018 Cinco de Mayo

I got the smoker going and took off the cloth under the quilt box of each hive to make sure there were pollen patties on the hives. Then I filled the feeders and put them back together but first, I grabbed the queen cage out of the second box of Hive B. I hope Hive A makes it, it seems low on bees.

I took the mouse guards off too.